Beech King Air 200, Seattle, Wash., April 8, 2001–“The pilot’s failure to properly follow pre-takeoff checklists…and his subsequent failure to properly perform a manual landing-gear extension, resulting in a landing with the gear not down and locked” is the introduction to the probable cause of this gear collapse accident. The NTSB also blamed the “FAA-approved airplane flight manual (AFM),” saying the book “does not contain information on how long to pump the manual extension handle for a down-and-locked condition in the event the gear’s green down lights do not illuminate.”
They do not illuminate, for instance, after the dual generator failure that follows the omission of two items on the startup checklist–turn off both starters. According to the NTSB’s final report, the AFM’s dual generator failure checklist does not “contain a step for checking the engine ignition/start switches on the off position prior to attempting generator reset.” The NTSB notes that the FAA has inadequately approved both procedures in the AFM.
